Song of the Next Spring
by EvoFTG
Summary: For all the time Elias Ainsworth has existed, only one person has made him feel alive rather than a silent watcher of the shadows. And like all that which is alive, change is inevitable.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/n:**_ _Oh, look. Another bandwagon that I can jump into. I've been binge-watching/binge-reading the anime and the manga, and now I can't stop thinking about it. This short fic is the result._

* * *

"Elias…"

His puppy.

"Elias?"

…who is no longer a puppy.

The fae calls her the robin. _Their_ robin. Perhaps, being the otherworldly creatures that they are, they possess the insight not only to value her but also to name her as is fitting to her natures. Small and fragile in some ways, yet so very resilient in others.

The touch of a softer – _much_ softer – skin than his awakes him from his reverie. Rather than startling him, it gently leads him out of his thoughts like the lure of a siren's song, though answering it is not a doom as that befell those unfortunate sailors. Elias comes to the present of Chise Hatori standing beside the couch he has taken to lounge since their breakfast, her hand on the back of his. His limb is gloved but her warmth permeates through the fabric, reaching him as easily as if she has touched bare flesh.

Warm. Soothingly, delightfully warm – That is what Chise embodies to Elias. He revels in it for a second or two longer before responding.

"Yes?"

"…Can I ask you something?"

The orbs of his eyes narrow down on the petite figure of his apprentice. She is not the meek and subservient girl whom he met at the auction in what feels like a lifetime ago, but her gentleness is something inherent. The downed gaze is one of respect, hiding the burning curiousity that makes her ask in the first place.

Elias hates being asked questions but avoiding one from his precious girl is something he dislikes just as much. Besides, she comes asking him rather than going out on her own way to find out the answers. She usually does defer to him, but the worried frown on her brow says that she doesn't truly believe of being humoured this time.

It makes Elias wants to defy her expectation.

"Certainly," he says and rises out of his couch, surprising Chise at his sudden movement. She makes to withdraw her hand but with a twist of his wrist, he captures her smaller hand in his own, anchoring her to him and assuring her that he bears no displeasure towards her.

He waits for her questions with the silence of a predator. Chise understands this as a cue to continue, so she does.

"It's about the College. The one Mr. Renfred is speaking of." She chews on the inside of her mouth thoughtfully. "Mr. Stroud and Mr. Innis talked about it a little but…"

"…You want to hear it from me as well, and what I think of it," he finishes for her. "To say it simply, they are a parasite at worst and a nuisance at best."

"Harsh," she says, but the corner of her lips tugs upwards with amusement. "What makes you say that?"

"They do not hold value to one as precious as you. You will only be a tool. You –"

Elias lets out a sigh through the gaping hollow of his nasal cavity. She feels it ruffling her hair and her smile widens. It is not amused this time, more of a fondness that makes his back tingles pleasantly. The tightness in his chest, the tightness of his anxiety, eases a little too. He wonders endlessly how it is so easy for her to influence him as though he is one of the full-fledged neighbours who crave her magic.

"…For all the mistakes I've made, never once did I thought of hurting you. Not willingly." He tightens his grasp on her hand. It takes a conscious effort to refrain himself from using too much force on her delicate fingers. "The people of the College do not share my limitation. You have heard from Adolf and Torrey about the Sleigh Beggys acquired by some of the alchemists. A fine morning like this is better left untainted by the details."

"Elias, I'm not just a Sleigh Beggy. I'm an apprentice to magic now. _Your_ apprentice. I won't be used that easily." She steps forward, bringing herself closer to Elias' towering form, her eyes firmly trained on his skeletal head all the while. "If I go among them, I will not be helpless."

The primal instinct in him wants to change into a form where he can enclose his body around Chise and muffle her questions in his coils, but of course that is not an acceptable behaviour. Chise would have called it 'an overkill'. If she has known the works of the College to the Sleigh Beggys before her, though, she would not have denied his protection.

However, what worries him the most now is the thought of her insisting to enter the College on her own. Yes, she is a capable magic-user even without Elias by her side. Furthermore, the neighbours love her dearly; they will surely answer to her call, even protecting her without prior request if they think their precious robin is in danger. She has Renfred and _his_ apprentice too, if it comes to that. They may not care much for Elias Ainsworth the half-baked, but they have shown surprising reliability when it comes to Chise's well-being…

And Chise herself is not a puppy anymore, not after what she has gone through. The robin is spreading her wings; Elias has no way of following her if she flies too high from the ground, where his thorns lay rooted.

"You are my apprentice," he repeats, trying to make sense of the twisting, coiling sensation in his midriff, "Chise… do you wish to go to the College?"

"Alice's already studying there. Mr. Renfred says that it will help me if I do the same. But, Elias –"

At this, Elias is indeed startled by her small hands twisting free of his hold, which then holds him in return on his lower arm. She takes another step forward; the only step she can make since she is now flush against his body. Elias' remaining arm comes up instinctively, cupping the small of her back as though to keep her close.

"– Elias, I've promised you that I'll stay by your side. Even after all those things, I still come back. Won't you… won't you do the same for me if I decide to go?"

 _Chise, you are killing me,_ is Elias' thought as the twisting deepens into something painful that threatens to break him from the inside. However, her eyes encompass him like the touch of her hands, loving and hopeful and painfully undeniable.

They have warned him of this – The day when the student willingly chooses to stray from the master's footsteps.

 _I will think about it._

But no – that will only delay the inevitable and perhaps insults Chise's right to free will. In that, she is neither robin nor puppy; he has learned of this also, and in the hardest way possible. There has been no pain hitherto known to the ancient magus to rival the soul-tearing agony of abandonment when he saw Chise disappeared in a blue flash with Joseph/Cartaphilus. He treaded his days now with the utmost care lest a mistake would once again cost him her willing companionship.

Only one decision makes sense here, as bitter as it is necessary.

"I do not like the College," Elias states flatly. Chise says nothing, perhaps already sensing that more words lurk behind his tense jaw. "…but I suppose the experience will be good for you. And as much of a cesspit as it is, it can't be that _all of them_ are corrupted by their practices."

It hurts to admit it. He is a sufficient enough teacher but Chise's potential cannot be confined here. He knows that much now from Angelica's stern lectures, cynical advices from Renfred and gentle admonishments from Lindel. Their words would normally fall on deaf ears but when they speak of his beloved Chise, he _will_ listen. The girl absorbs knowledge like her Sleigh Beggy's body absorbs magic and, like the latter, something must be done about it.

"Elias," she starts, but the rest of her emotions are spoken nonverbally. Her face lights up from the beautiful smile and herbeautiful eyes. It seems to Elias that every aspect of the girl is describable by that simple word, from her sunset-red hair down to her feet, and everything else in between.

The twisting in his gut remains, only changed in nature into something a little less painful.

Surrendering to his instinct, the magus stoops to nuzzle his long, bony snout into her scalp. Her scent is strong here like wild roses in full bloom and he inhales it with greed and hunger. Outwardly, though, he keeps his movements calculated and his gesture decent. Chise thankfully reciprocates with more eagerness, draping her arms on the shoulders which would have been out of reach otherwise and pull them close together.

"Elias, thank you." Her skin feels like silk around his exposed neck. The Cursed arm, her left one, has a rougher texture though it is still much softer than his. Elias trails his snout down to her face, nudging the smooth bone of his cheek against her carefully so as not to cut her on the various sharp points of his skull-head.

"We will have to discuss further on this matter." Elias pauses. "Not today, though."

"Not today," she agrees willingly. Curious and diligent, she always pursues her goal like the relentless, shining hounds of Arawn himself. Something in his bearings – whatever that is, considering his lack of fleshed face to speak of – must have softened her.

More than softened her, for she turns her head and replaces her nuzzled cheek with her lips against the side of his skull. Elias stiffens for her kiss seems to awaken his inner thorns, lashing and snapping within his form like confined serpents.

"Chise," he breathes out her name, feeling dazzled and comforted in equal measure. The tingling along his spine is now accompanied with a peculiar warmth that makes him want to shudder. Lately, it seems to him that he is becoming prone to this sensation, for some unknown reasons. Chise is always the cause but there is no specific action or event that appears to be the trigger – only being with her in general seems to be enough.

After the talk about the College, the urge to enfold her in his embrace increases frighteningly or, failing that, attach himself to her so that she will always be within view. _That,_ he understands, is the call of his fae side that acts on the same impulsiveness as that which causes the Aerials to lure Chise into the Anthill on her first night here. With a sigh, Elias gives her another squeeze on her back before making himself release her.

"Do you have any more question? Other than the College, that is."

"No." She doesn't go away so Elias waits for what she may be saying next. "I do want to go out today, though."

"Of course. Do you need me to accompany you or…?"

"That's okay. I'm going out with Stella to do some shopping."

After the catastrophic episode with that Barklem girl, Elias is immensely thankful that Chise does not act as though her friendship with the girl is something to be kept secret; that she trusts Elias enough to inform him freely. If Chise still does bear misgiving, at least she does not show it in a way that compounds Elias' newfound guilt at behaving so… childishly.

Elias remains in his thoughts a tad too long that Chise adds, "Ruth will be with me too."

At the mention of his name, Chise's Grim familiar materializes in a swirling of shadows beside his master. His canid outline seems to smoke for a moment before solidifying into shaggy black coat, his muzzle nudging at Chise's Curse-blackened fingertips in an instinctive display of affection.

"I know he will. I was just thinking of visiting Angelica… but I do have other things to attend to for now. Perhaps we can go together some other time?"

She beams at his offer. "Sounds wonderful. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Alright. Be safe now, Chise."

"Thanks, Elias. I'll see you in the evening!"

Elias watches Chise and Ruth excuse themselves from the living room as he returns to his couch. The sounds of a door opening and closing mark their departure, leaving the magus alone with Silver Lady, the latter coming to him with a tray that holds today's morning snacks: A cup of tea, Darjeeling by the look and smell of it, and a plate of blueberry muffins. He thanks the brownie, pauses as he lifts the cup to his muzzle and asks, "Did Chise eat before leaving? What about Ruth?"

Silver nods primly. Her eyes sparkle with delight as they usually do when her meals are properly enjoyed.

"I see. Thank you again, Silky."

She bows and, with a swish of her skirt, makes herself scarce to other parts of the house.

Elias gingerly tilts the cup, at an angle that takes some time to refine to avoid catastrophic spilling, and let flow the tea into his slightly parted jaw. He has worked so hard on perfecting his mannerism as an English gentleman, first as a simple exercise to sate his curiousity, then as means to make himself acceptable among the human populace; over the years, he is used of behaving as such until what is his façade gradually becomes natural, as though he is born and bred into it.

He sets the cup aside when it is half drunk.

He takes a delicate bite out of the muffin, his canine incisors easily slicing it into half. He swallows the first half, then the other.

He takes the second muffin and repeats the process. He takes the third when the second is finished, then the fourth, until all of them are done with.

He sips the remaining tea.

And _still_ he cannot think of anything else but Chise Hatori, long after she is gone from his sight.

By the time Silver returns to collect the tray, Elias decides that his morning is awfully unproductive spent brooding like a dragoness with a stolen egg. Pushing himself out of the couch, he has Silver brings him his signature black robe while his mind swirls on chores that he can undertake on a whim. There should be much to do, now that the season is shifting. Spring is the time of growing and hoarding. The forest should be bountiful.

Weren't they running out of ingredients for the medicines? He remembers Chise saying that to him a few days ago.

"I will be out in the woods today," Elias says to Silky as he shrugs himself into the robe. Technically, it is not necessary to inform her. He has no other home to return to and no place to be for extended time. However, the routine sticks when Chise starts it, saying that at least, Silky has one less thing to be worried about.

Silky of course says nothing but her smiles become more often and that much 'sweeter', as Chise says.

His walk to the woods is uneventful. He fills his time listing all the materials he hopes to find, coming up with a mental map as to which path to take, running through the options he has if his goals are not met. Some herbs are readily cultivated in his garden; others make for better ingredients if allowed to grow wild, or are simply unavailable at other places. The wicker basket he carries is gradually filled with things he finds along the way: Berries, abandoned spider webs, barks pried off a 100-year old cypress, wisteria shoots and blossoms, wormwood leaves, a rusted penny sitting in a puddle, various parts of belladonna…

"There you are, my Child of Thorn."

Elias looks up, briefly puzzled by the presence whom he has failed to detect, though the answer is obvious as soon as he beholds the unexpected guest. Besides, he has many epithets but only a few people regard him as a child of anything.

"Faerie queen Titania."

Or rather, one of her branches. The female sitting on a nearby stump looks far younger than the Titania who has come to see Elias and his then-sleeping 'bride'; younger even than Chise who is just stepping into early womanhood. The avatar of Titania in front of him wears the exact same shape and form as those who have brought him back from the brink of raging insanity.

"I wouldn't have bothered searching there, myself. The morels you seek have yet to sprout. Come again after three sunsets for the harvests."

"I thank you for the insight, Your Highness."

He rises from his crouch and re-adjusts the glove which has been disturbed in his rummaging around the stump's dead roots. All the while, his eyes are trained upon the deceptively girlish figure. Being part-fae himself, Elias is in favours of the queen but he keeps his guards up nevertheless. There is no harm in being wary especially when one is dealing with creatures of whims and fickleness. She wouldn't have appeared before him for something as simple as a treasure-hunting hint.

He senses no other magical presences nearby and, as far as he can see, this seems true. There are no glimpses of the royal bodyguard, Spriggan, nor of her husband King Oberon. The realization of being in private audience with Titania increases his concern even further.

"Your Highness, how may I serve you?"

"The nightingales sing beautifully today, yet they speak of a lonely beast in the forest." She leaps down from her perch and lands on the moss-covered ground as lightly as a windblown feather. "Walk with me, Elias."

It is not a request.

The mage falls into step beside her as the queen sweeps by, unseen bells chiming in her wake. She carries with her the scent of spring and its verdant growths, but hers do not make him crave for more as Chise's effortlessly does despite how pleasant it smells. The birds sing from their high perches as the pair walks along the trail. Wind rustles through the leaves and grasses, playing a soft melody where Queen Titania sets her foot. The sounds of insects talking are a steady murmur in the background.

If only it is Chise who accompanies him…

"Your mate," the faerie queen begins as though picking up the threads of his thoughts. "She is not with you."

"King Oberon is not with you either."

Her laughter sends the doves fluttering overhead, their soft coos a soothing duet to the song of the wind and leaves.

"My, my, Thorn. I'm glad to see that your fire has not waned." She stops and turns on her heel, too fast for Elias to understand her intention. Her hand shoots for his, grasping like a hawk's talons – Again, so very different from Chise's touches.

She uses no magic as far as he can tell but her gaze locks him to his spot. Eyes like gleaming amethysts meet his stare with an uncomfortable steadiness. He wonders briefly if he has crossed an invisible line in his impulsiveness but discards it quickly – Queen Titania is not easily offended, nor would she linger like this if she means to punish.

"Oberon goes where he will, and so do I. Yet we remain connected. You, dearest child, are alone. Even now, you long for her like the wolves who howls for the moon."

"Yes." Elias contemplates her words and his own body, at the sensations that flow through him and what they pertain to his emotions. "However, I am not lonely."

He feels many things but none of that deep, bone-gnawing coldness that had once plagued him when Chise left to claim her wand in the land of the dragons; coldness that had come unannounced and left just as unceremoniously the moment Chise landed in his outstretched arms. Until Chise named it 'loneliness', Elias had spent his solitary days restless and confusedly helpless to counter that which he has no idea of its cause.

His own apprentice, as it turns out, is an exceptional teacher herself when it comes to understanding his own psyche.

He misses her, that much is true.

He will miss her if she is gone for a minute or a day or a month – that is his nature that Titania and Oberon have warned him of, for the love of the fair folk is binding. Yet, his mortal side knows to endure until the next time he sees her. It is this belief which has warded off the worst of his cold-loneliness and tempered it into something of an anticipation.

"You have chosen a difficult path, Thorn," the queen says with a pout. "How can I not pity you, time and time again?"

"As long as Chise will have me, I am content."

It surprises even him, how easily the confession comes out of him.

"Be that as it may –" she tugs at his hands; an invisible force coaxes him to bend down to a level where Queen Titania can hold him in her palms. "– you are still one of my own, and she is dear to us all. Should a human's life prove ill-fitting, the door of Tír na nÓg is always open for you and yours."

Memories of his discussion with Chise this morning rears up uninvited. Having Chise and the College in the same line of thought is tying his guts into nauseating knots. A living Sleigh Beggy will be their idea of an ultimate prize, though Elias has to say that their notion of appreciation is not always to the benefit of the individual concerned.

It would have been so easy to –

"Your offer is a generous one, Your Highness," he says, gently removing himself from her hold although he maintains his lowered posture so as to avoid offending the queen with tasteless rejection, "but Chise will walk her own path, and I shall stay in her shadows…"

… _until the day she would let go of my hands._

"If that is how you choose to love her, who am I to say otherwise?"

She takes a step back. Straightening himself up, Elias is suddenly aware of the returning sounds of the forest, when all these while he has not realized of the silence which has befallen around them. Arms crossed under her barely-covered chest, she heaves a wistful sigh as she regards the magus standing tall beside her.

"Oberon is right. The children do grow amazingly fast on this side – especially _you,_ Elias."

Elias' attention is caught on a seedling which curiously sprouts under her feet. Its first leaf unfurls mere seconds later, followed by a few more as it grows to a respectable height that reaches Queen Titania's knees.

"We haven't done that much walking after all, aren't we? Alas, I will have to take my leave now."

The youngest shoot at the very top of the plant swells with a greenish bud. Its colour quickly ripens, becoming as white as the clouds peeking overhead through the canopies, and petals unfold to reveal a petunia blossom.

"Perhaps you can bring your mate along to our next meeting. The King and I would love to talk to her again."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Elias?"

"Your Highness?"

"You do make for a fine husband for our little robin."

Elias' jaw drops open. His reply comes out as nothing more than a croak which he eventually swallows. The queen merely giggles into the back of her hand, immensely enjoying the sight of the mighty Thorn Mage stunned out of his wits. The petunia at her feet glows just as Elias gathers himself together; Queen Titania retreats, daintily nudging her feet to the flower, and is gone in a flash of green and gold and the fading rings of bells. Where she has stood, there remains only the petunia plant, appearing no different than others of its kinds wildly growing on the forest floor and out in the fields.

Of course. She is only a manifestation of a small branch, not the Faerie Queen in person.

His breath comes out in a rush. It is not pleasant for he feels it leaving his body much too urgently, but at least it is a relief compared to it being stuck in there. Fae creatures really are painfully capricious…

 _A fine husband, is it?_

His gaze is drawn towards his left hand. There, under the thin cottony fabric, a white gold ring sits dormant on his finger, its weight having become familiar to him after all these months.

A strange uneasiness pulses at the back of his skull. Despite the intentions with which he bought Chise, he is a stranger to companionship.

Does he even deserve to be called a 'husband', let alone a 'fine' one at that?

As far as he understands human customs, marriage involves something more than the wearing of a ring or some sort of jewelry. Simon insists that there should be vows and witnesses to formalize a wedding according to his belief. Apparently, humans also have varying laws on the _age of consent_ as brought up by Angelica. She means well to educate him on that matter but Elias has come out of her shop feeling ever more overwhelmed, like one of her enchanted birds stuffed to the brim with deliveries.

" _Really now, Ainsworth,"_ Angelica has said to him, looking very close to swinging her broom with the sole purpose of 'knocking some sense' into him, _"you can't tell me that you haven't heard of_ being engaged _after all these times!?"_

That was it, then – He remembers it now.

They lack the formality of human customs to be regarded as husband and wife, but the rings both he and Chise wear is a promise between them. _Intended_ for each other until the time his fiancée sees fit for a true marriage.

Elias hasn't come to Angelica with the express purpose of clarification then. However, he does appreciate the input even if he has to endure being called a _shithead_ no less than five times, a _pervert_ once or twice, and _stupid_ more times than he dares to count. Angelica proves to be an excellent reference in the more technical or moral aspects of human lives, including this matters with age of consent and the state of their relationship. It is a peculiar notion to Elias who, until then, has run on faerie notion of nubility.

The magus' mind is wandering yet again; Elias realizes this with a huff and resigns to the futility of restraining what is already far beyond his control. The words of the queen have left him thinking of his future, when before he is content to conform to whatever thrown in his way – or, more often than not, flee into the shadows and isolation where he _can_ be content.

With Chise, the latter is no longer an option.

It seems that wherever he goes, something or another is dragging his thoughts back towards the Sleigh Beggy. To say that his moods are ruined will be a lie – his moods are always in the best of condition when it concerns Chise – but it will not be an optimal trip to continue his search with his current… preoccupation. Besides, he has gathered enough to sustain a few batches of potions and elixirs if the demands are as usual.

It will not do to discard a gift, though, so Elias sweeps back his robe and kneels in front of the petunia plant. A second flower is coming into blossom, perhaps aided by lingering vitality of the queen herself. He caresses the petals with the tip of a finger but senses no curses or spells on them. He doesn't expect there will be although caution is never ill-advised when dealing with the non-humans. He plucks the flowers from their stems, watching as new ones immediately grow in their steads.

It may have been a mere coincidence but Elias suspects that Queen Titania is aware of the blossoms being among his needed ingredients. Just like the Queen of the Fae to indulge her whims like this. At least, she has saved him the trouble of hunting the last bit of materials needed to complete the calming draught ordered by one of the villagers.

"That should do it," he says to no one in particular, and heads home with his basketful of forages and his mind hovering over Queen Titania's parting words.


	2. Chapter 2

"You don't even know."

Ruth's raspy vocalization transcends his forms; even as a young man that he is now, Chise can still hear the gruffness of his Grim's barks in his normal speaking voice.

"Know what?"

"Whether you are going to the College or not," he says simply. He doesn't sound accusing, only curious. Though they are master and familiar, there are still some things that Ruth doesn't readily grasp.

"I've been thinking about it," she says. "I want to."

"But?"

"There's a 'but'?"

Ruth merely looks at her from beneath his black curtains of hair. His red pupils appear diluted in the dim lighting of the cabin but they remind her very much of the Ruth who was still Ulysse, the Church Grim with the supposed abnormality of attacking innocents around the graveyards he haunted.

"Your thought goes on, Chise, even though your words stop there."

"…Really?" For Ruth to comment on it, the College has to be on her mind more than she thinks it does.

Sometimes, Chise doesn't understand her own thoughts either. No wonder Lindel and Nevin both had come up with the same advice during her stay at Iceland's dragon aerie – to take a little time talking to herself. It's a shame Chise doesn't follow their suggestions as often as she should.

The world races past the windows as the train chugs onwards and Chise pauses to stare at the scenery. It's been a fun trip today with Stella, whom they've parted ways at the station. Mr. and Mrs. Barklem have been waiting there to pick up their daughter; apparently, they were planning a dinner outing with their children afterwards. They did ask Chise and her 'brother' to join them, but Chise is anxious to get back home and boarded the next train to West London. That has been a while back; the sharp, distinct spires and towering constructs of London city has given way to the rolling green meadows interspersed with cottages and small houses with back gardens and farmyards. The horizon is a neat dividing line between the green and the blue in the far distance.

It's a comforting, tranquil view that makes her sigh with relief.

She likes the atmosphere of the cities just fine, at least for a time; it's an exciting change to the countryside of Ainsworth residence but there are too many voices talking at once and too many sounds overlapping one another, each one incidentally vying for her attention. The focus demanded of her when doing magic is her undoing there.

The cars, taxies and double decker buses driving by. People calling for one another, their voices raised to be heard above the dins. The rattles of rusted metals. The stifling air choked between the spaces of the buildings of bricks and stones.

Elias always uses the back alleys to move around in London wherever he can. Part of it is because magical communities tend to set up their activities in out-of-the-way places, but Chise also suspects that Elias simply doesn't care going through the crowds if he can have a quieter alternative. He is definitely not a fan of socializing. Whatever business that brings him out of his house, Elias seems to have it all planned and makes a beeline for it – in and out, as simple as that.

Unlike Chise, who tends to wander around and observe her surroundings to the point of distractions. It's also the same approach she uses when shopping, unfortunately.

"Ruth, thanks for helping me." She beckons towards the shopping bags strewn on her lap and his. If it wasn't for Stella and the half-rate promotion they've stumbled on, Chise would have only half as much to bring home.

Ruth, who is likewise enjoying the view with his face and palms pressed flat against the window-panes, pulls back a little to un-squash his mouth. "I don't mind. There's nothing for me there, but you were enjoying yourself."

It's the same answer he gave Stella when the girls, surprised by how easily he follows after them into the clothing shop. Stella said that boys don't usually like to go shopping, or worse, wait for girls to do theirs; Chise thought much the same thing, only her reason is that Ruth, being a Church Grim borne of a dog, would have no point in buying outfits which he can materialize at will.

Meanwhile, Chise did have a great time with Stella there. They practically combed the shop from end to end, looking and comparing outfits and making remarks that Chise wouldn't have known about herself, like how green would complement the colour of her eyes, how reds and oranges should be used in moderation because it'll drown out her redhead, what accessories will suit her, so on and so forth…

"…Isabelle used to worry about such things too," Ruth remarks; unexpected but nevertheless welcomed. He's outspoken when it concerns Chise, _especially_ when he does so to Elias, but of himself Chise hardly hears anything. "I don't understand it. I like the way you look no matter what you wear. I'm sure Elias shares my view on this."

"Thanks, Ruth," she replies, pointedly ignoring how his comment about Elias is starting to affect the colour of her face. "But sometimes, it's just fun finding out new things you'd like to wear. Stella is really good about helping me choose – and not just for me, either."

Peering into the insides of the shopping bags, there are as many things she bought for herself as for others. Among them are towels to replace those mysteriously vanishing from the residence, a cloak which she means to purify and spellbind for magical protection, and a rose-patterned headband she assumed Miss Redcurrant would like. Silky can sew and often does, but there's a cute handkerchief that Chise just has to give the brownie – if not for use herself, the patterns may be inspirations for her future projects.

Despite her shopping success, there's one thing that she regrets: Chise can't decide on anything to pick up for her mage in that particular shop. She lets out a mournful groan at the lack of anything Elias-black in her shopping bags.

Elias' choice of clothing is static, which is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, it becomes a point of familiarity in her new life – seeing the hem of his robe around the corner, knowing that Elias is just beyond the wall doing whatever; his tall, sharply-dressed figure sitting in his chair while he reads; the assurance that nothing is out of the ordinary if he can stay in that humanoid form instead of his chimeran body.

On the other hand, his constancy means that there's very little else Chise can contribute when it comes to clothing.

"…He accepted that necktie you gave him well enough," Ruth points out.

"That's different. It was a Christmas present. I made sure it didn't look too different from the one he already had." It's exactly the same, as far as appearance goes. Chise wouldn't be able to tell which one is which if Elias has taken to wearing them alternatingly.

"A gift is a gift, Chise," he says, shrugging. He reaches out to touch one of the smaller bags Chise has been faithfully gripping all these while – not consciously, but until Ruth brings her attention to it, she doesn't even realize how sweaty her palms have become.

Chise can't help but smile at him. A familiar, indeed, but a brother as well.

"I think you're right, Ruth," and she clutches the bag to her chest for the remaining of their train ride.

Ainsworth Residence, the lone house at the furthest edge of an already remote village, comes into view well after dusk has settled over the fields surrounding the property. Ruth, a solid shadow of a Black Dog once again, is visible from a couple of shopping bags swaying from his muzzle as he heels the girl. The sparkling trails of their good neighbours are visible here and there as they come out to play at night, providing her enough light to guide her back until her footsteps echo not with soft grounds, but of the flagstone path that leads right up to the doorstep. The lit windows spill out the warm lighting inside.

"I'm home," Chise calls out as she reaches for the door knob. Ruth slinks inside, half-shadow half-dog, through the sliver of space she has opened. The smell of dinner cooking wafts from inside, which would probably explain Ruth's eagerness.

She steps inside, taking off the outer coat and folding it in her arms. The living room is cold and empty except for the salamander crawling around the fireplace. Nobody has used it for much of the day from its extra tidiness. The black magus robe hangs unused on the coat rack beside the doorway, so at least she knows that its owner is at home.

"Elias?" Silence. "Silky?"

That at least garners a reaction in the form of Silky's head poking out of the kitchen. She nods once to acknowledge her return, then disappears for more cooking.

" _There's herbal chicken soup,"_ Ruth says dreamily, his nose twitching and pointed out towards the pantry. He looks the picture of a perfect gundog, if only with a prey that's already on the stove. _"Chicken casseroles and pasta. Roasted potatoes… and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Bread and lemon pudding. There's more –"_

Chise follows after Ruth who looks like he's been hooked on a fishing line and is reeled in by Silky. The delicious smell, the heat of meals on stove, the steam and smoke curling in the kitchen almost overwhelm her.

"That looks wonderful, Silky. All of them!"

Silky pauses from her task of setting the table. A smile lights up her face.

It's spring now, so there should be lots of ingredients to work with. Even then, there's still a tad too many dishes than Silky's usual menu. Chise suspects that it's because Silky, being Silky, is worried that they may come home hungry after a whole day of walking around London.

"You really don't have to prepare that much –" Her stomach merrily interrupts with a loud grumbling. Silver's smile widens a notch until her eyes are pinched at the corners. "Well, okay. We're a bit hungry after all."

What an uncouth body she has… At least, Silver Lady doesn't take offense at that and continues with her chores, ladling soup and pasta from their pots into serving bowls. Ruth is helping as well – he has reconstructed himself into the dark-haired young man and is now bringing the various meals to the table, as well as setting the plates and cutleries for three. It doesn't look like there's much else for Chise to do here.

"Should I call Elias for dinner now?"

Silver nods, pauses in thought, and glances past them. There's only an ordinary wall there but by the way her eyes track towards a specific section of the house, Chise understands what the brownie is alluding to.

"The study, right? I'll go get him."

Excusing herself, Chise makes a quick detour to the living room where their shopping bags have been deposited at the moment. She means to give Silky her present after dinner; others just have to wait until tomorrow, but the small bag she's been hugging in the train is just _begging_ to be delivered.

She snatches it up before a second thought makes her doubt herself.

The study is not usually Elias' choice place to relax or manage whatever businesses he has on hand; the living room suffices for that purposes. It's Chise who usually finds herself in here while trying to find a spellbook or instruments she may need for the day's lesson. One of the few times Elias joins her in here is when he re-opened the study room and, subsequently, to listen to Chise's childhood…

The memory seems to turn on her internal heater by a few degrees. Elias has very little sense of privacy, Chise understands that well enough by now, but recalling how easily he has scooped her up in his arms and put her on his knee is worth blushing for. It's the kind of casualness that earns him Angelica's ire and title of a _perverted old man_ within two minutes of Chise's introduction, but it's also how he manages to bully past skepticism and _buy_ himself an apprentice/bride.

Not the cleanest way to start a relationship, for sure, but neither Chise nor Elias admits to being a model citizen. They both have their own devils that need sorting out. They've made good progress so far if Chise may say so, but there's still a long way to go.

Chise allows herself a deep inhalation to cast away her wayward thoughts, though the door is already ajar when she arrives in front of the study room. All the lights in it are turned on, casting a muted, yellowish glow that allows her just enough to make out the furniture predominated by ceiling-high bookshelves, the contours of the room and, most importantly, the sole individual within, sitting in the high-backed armchair at the far end of the place.

"Elias…?"

The mage remains unmoving. Intrigued, Chise steps into the study, almost tiptoeing – if Elias is concentrating on something, it may not be the best idea to interrupt him for a number of reasons – until she's close enough to see the profiles of his skull. Head tilted and braced on the back of his hand, one leg crossed over the other, his posture is one that Elias ordinarily adopts that Chise would have easily believed that he is in the middle of some deep thinking, except for the fact that his eye-sockets are completely devoid of lights. That, and also because he is completely unreactive to Chise standing right in front of him.

 _So, he's… sleeping?_

That really shouldn't be as weird as she finds it to be. He's seen Elias asleep enough times before. She has slept beside him _in his bed,_ even. It's just… weird – yes, weird – seeing Elias, the unceasingly alert and watchful Elias, falls asleep outside of his bedroom. Unlike Chise with her annoying Sleigh Beggy body, the magus never looks tired no matter how many magical feats he's accomplished to warrant a nap.

Still, Chise isn't going to complain about the view. The supposedly ancient magus looks _adorably_ peaceful like this. It's like looking at an oversized teddy bear and, like it, Chise feels a compelling urge to hug him.

"…Ah, Chise?"

Her desire for a hug recedes immediately when the dark hollows of its sockets flicker with twin pinpricks of light. There is a sound of rustling fabric which confuses the girl momentarily before she realizes that Elias' body is straightening out of his slump. His skull-head is no longer dependent on his hand for support either, so yes, Elias is indeed waking up. Turns out, her body does that thing again with going two steps ahead of her mind – her hands are already on Elias' knee, the touch of which must have roused the magus. The bag containing Elias' gift, her purpose of coming here, has been set down on the floor in the same subconscious state that has made her reach out to him.

"Oh – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Despite her apology, she can't bring herself to remove her hands, especially when Elias' hand is coming to rest on hers.

"You're back," Elias says, vestiges of sleep making his voice gruff. Somehow, his greetings always come out as though the words have been _just there,_ waiting for days on the tip of his tongue to be spoken; as though she has been gone for more than just a few hours.

It is a small detail that nevertheless causes her heart to skip a beat.

His skull turns from Chise's face to the windows opening at the back of the study, and to the view of the hillock on the horizon. The sun has sunk completely under it, leaving only a few scattered rays lingering at the foot of the sky. A thoughtful rumble echoes in his throat; his pupils squeeze into the frontal part of their sockets in concentration.

"I must have dozed off." There's a trace of regret in it. "I was hoping to finish the ordered medicine from the next village today."

"Is there something wrong, Elias?"

"Not _wrong_ , per se."

He intends it to be the ending note but his gaze betrays him. For just a split second, he glances at the materials stacked on a nearby ottoman footstool, and her eyes follow his line of sight. She recognizes some of the titles, having tidied a majority of the books when she was first admitted here, but an out-of-place gleam catches her eyes. The piece of folded paper is newer than most materials in here, and neatly laminated. The words printed at the top jump out to her in their jarring garishness.

"The College?" She says, reading aloud the title embossed at the top of the paper in shining letters.

The noise from Elias strikes a note between resignation and disgruntled agreement. "A pamphlet of theirs, yes," he admits finally, uncrossing his legs to allow himself a little shift in pose.

With the hand not used in holding Chise's, Elias summons the aforementioned brochure with a twirl of his fingers. It glows with a cool blue light when it lands in his palm. A 3-dimensional image of a keyhole is rotating midair, projected from the centre of the pamphlet. Around his forefinger, meanwhile, an outline of a key is being constructed out of the same bluish light emitted from the paper.

"Alchemist wizardry. A spell is installed so that the key will only appear to those with magical talents or knowledge," he says, answering the questions unsaid, yet which must be obvious from her wide-eyed expression. It's difficult to say with Elias' usual monotone but the cinch of his pupils is telling of his prejudice. "More importantly, it is designed to impress."

Elias is clearly not.

"And you have this… why?" To Chise, it seems unlikely that Elias should have anything College-related casually in his possession.

With another ambiguous gesture, Elias extinguishes the alchemist's light; with it, the keyhole and its key are gone also. It's surprising to Chise that, instead of incinerating it as Elias used to do with her notes to test her memories, the pamphlet survives his annoyance and is re-placed where it has been retrieved.

"I've promised further discussion on the subject with you, but I am not sufficiently informed of the College. Since I have little materials to work with in this house, I was forced to ask for Renfred's favours."

"…Wait, _Renfred?_ Elias, what exactly did you ask from him? _"_

"Something to introduce both of us to the systems of the College. He has been most cooperative, sending me that pamphlet – though I must say after browsing through it, all of them are the usual propaganda."

Chise's mind is spinning wildly. There is no love lost between Elias and the College, of that everyone is aware of. Chise would have understand it if Elias decides to sweep the matters under the rug after her brief mention of it this morning. It will be perfectly reasonable if Chise is the one to go digging for information. It won't even be out of possibility that Elias, his dislike overpowering, would have gone and erased her memories of it.

And yet, here he is, cooped up in the study room all by himself, making acquaintance with an alchemist of the College, just because he has promised her…

 _There's your answer, isn't it?_ Ruth's mental voice startles her in its unexpectedness, but not enough that it shows to Elias. Ruth may just as well shout to be heard with only a few walls between them, but the discreet contact suggests of something delicate.

She projects back, as secretly as she can: _What?_

 _You're worried, aren't you, Chise?_ He pauses, likely sifting through the throngs of too-fast thoughts going through her mind and trying to articulate the conclusion back to a confused Chise. _Divided between equally powerful desire – to go out and see the world, or to stay by his side._

 _Ruth, that's very vague and definitely not helping._

She senses rather than hears the Grim's sigh. Resignation from her familiar trickles through their link.

 _When you came to him this morning, with the question about the College. You worry what would happen if you go, and how he might react._

 _He won't do anything reckless. He knows better now… Most of the time._

 _Yes,_ comes Ruth's patient reply, _But that is not why you worry._

 _Then what is it?_

… _You're testing the waters,_ Ruth says, his voice tinged with questions that grow less so as he continues, _He will not stop you, you know this. You wonder instead, if by going your way, you're being selfish for asking him to compromise._

… _Selfish?_

 _Also, because you two are inseparable lovebirds who can't seem to keep your hands off each other._

 _Ruth!_

"Chise, are you alright? You look rather flustered."

Suddenly, Chise feels her body tumbles forward, tugged by a firm hand on her waist into the space between Elias' parted thighs. Ruth's unspoken yet very perceivable _I told you so_ makes her blush more intensely, on top of the existing embarrassment of being coaxed into the magus' lap. She won't be surprised all that much if steam is literally coming out of her ears.

"Your face is all red, Chise. Are you feeling feverish?" Carefully nipping the bits of loose fabric at the end of his fingers, Elias slips the glove off his left hand. Chise can't help but appreciate the dark purple skin and the gleam of a ring on his finger being revealed in front of her face.

The bare palm feels gentle on her forehead, its breadth nearly covering her to the top of her head. Where his skin is in contact with her, Chise can feel the intriguing roughness of old scars, calluses, and the odd tiny scales here and there.

"Your temperature doesn't feel too high though." The frown he can't make on his face is instead evident in his voice. With his other hand already preoccupied on her middle to keep her steady, his snout delicately pushes stray fringes of hair out of the way. His feeling hand lingers on her forehead for a second or two before giving up, wandering downwards to seek for sickly hotness on her neck.

Damn Elias and his lack of sense of personal space. Damn _her_ own body, too, for being ridiculously affected by something she really should have seen coming. Oh, and Ruth – damn him and his blunt, blush-inducing honesty.

"Elias, I'm fine. I'm not sick." Instead of pushing away his hand, Chise grabs it and presses her forehead to the back of it for emphasis, but at the same time showing him that his attention is not unwelcomed.

"…Oh."

He remains still, understanding now that her flushed face is an emotional reaction rather than physiological but is unsure what to do with the knowledge. It's a good enough opening for Chise, leaning her upper body towards Elias and resting her head against the broad, waistcoat-clad chest. She has never seen his human-form's torso uncovered and she does wonder every now and then – it feels ordinarily shaped as far as she can tell, but the muscles under the layers of clothing are firm and rugged in a way that no toils and exercises can produce.

Elias' hand slides upwards from her waist, curving around her shoulders and pulling her further into himself. From within the protection of his ribcage, a strong heart beats a steady tune into Chise's ears. Her own little bird's heart feels like swelling too, fluttering and trilling at the warm, safe closeness of this person she has come to equate as her nest.

"Elias…" she begins, her voice halting, "I'm sorry."

"Hmm?"

"…For making you do this. I know you don't like the College and all –"

"It is what you want. The least I can do is to understand." His snout moves in for another round of nuzzling, a gesture meant both for giving and taking comfort. Elias has said that Chise radiates warmth to him; if that's the case, Elias is downright hot when being this close together. The clasp of his bolo tie sways ever so slightly with Elias' rubbing motions; Chise reaches for it only half-consciously, fiddling the gem-like piece between her fingers as she searches for her next words.

"You don't have to do it alone, though. We can… do this research together. It's not like I know more than you do about this College."

"That is a much better prospect, I must say."

Chise swears she can hear the pleased rumbles coming from the mage. Though by being under his jaw hinders her sight of them, his pupils must be curved in that characteristic hint of a smile right now. Lindel sure knows what he's talking about when he compares Elias to a cat, with all the unpredictable mood blips and propensity to snuggle.

Is there any wonder why she wants to stay with him? For all the hardships of her childhood, Chise counts herself lucky that it all leads to her meeting with this man she cares more than her own life…

 _Chise, Chise,_ Ruth's voice intrudes into her mind that moment, sounding reluctant but compelled to be the one interrupting her quiet moments. _Are you done yet? You better be._

 _What, Ruth?_

 _It's dinner time, remember? I give another two minutes before Silver Lady comes for the both of you. She's choosing which spatula to bring with her right now._

"…Oops." Chise's body jolts up from her dreamy cuddling like a released spring. She's completely forgotten about that. _Oops,_ indeed.

"What is it, my puppy?"

"I was supposed to call you for dinner."

Even the infamous Elias Ainsworth knows not to protest when Chise slides off his lap, and proceeds to stand up after her without further ado. Silky is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to household matters, especially where it concerns meal times. There's a brief hustling about when Chise pulls down the slightly hiked blouse and skirt she is wearing, while Elias smooths out the fabric of his waistcoat and puts his glove back on.

Elias is waiting for Chise at the doorway when he notices the shopping bag which she remembers just in time to retrieve, now held close to her chest as she steps out of the study. The door swings shut behind her with a sharp _click._

"What do you have there, Chise?"

"Oh, this?" She smiles up at the skull trying to peer into the bag's interior, and hugs it so that no gap can be exploited for spying its content. "It's for you. I thought I'd give it when I came back home… but it looks like it'll just have to wait after dinner now. Silky will be angry if we make her wait any longer."

"Is that so? I look forward to it then."

Feeling unaccountably playful in all of a sudden, Chise flashes him a wink, blushes, and dashes towards the living room to place it back with the rest of her purchases. Elias' lengthy strides catch her in no time despite her head-start – though rather than invade her possessions, he merely stands waiting at the doorway to be joined by her. Another easy smile comes to her lips as she passes him before his large, gloved hand ushers her into the kitchen where the rest of her family awaits.


	3. Chapter 3

The nights of springtime are usually warm enough that the fireplace can be left as mere decoration. Tonight is one such night as Elias, Chise and Ruth sit crowded together in the living room, Elias on the single-person couch while Chise and her familiar have the floor all to themselves, surrounded by the paper shopping bags they have brought home from their London outing. There are far more things than what Elias conceivably imagine she may have use for – but as it turns out, that is exactly the case.

The fruits of her shopping is not solely for her.

"This is for you, Ruth," she says, dangling a collar in front of the Grim's muzzle, who sniffs it critically. The strap is woven of dark blue threads with silver lining on the edges. The chrome tag, engraved with a generic paw symbol, gleams handsomely under the soft light from the table lamp.

" _I thought you were just accompanying Stella in that pet shop?"_

Ruth's mental voice is projected for all to hear this time, rather than only for Chise's ears. He tries to sound solemn but the vigorous wag of his tail betrays it, especially so with how long and wavy it is that even the slightest movement is amplified.

"I was, but I can't resist when I saw this. You don't have to wear it – I just thought that it might come in handy someday."

" _Handy how?"_

"Well… people seeing dogs without a collar considers them strays. It won't be a problem usually, but if you're accompanying me in that Black Dog form in the cities or somewhere we're not used to…"

" _Point taken,"_ Ruth says, sitting straighter on his rump and extends his neck for Chise's access.

It shouldn't be a problem, as Chise has said. Ruth can hide in her shadows if his human form does not suffice for a disguise but Elias suspects that from the eagerness with which she presents it, as well as Ruth's easy acceptance, 'reasons' really are just 'excuses'. Elias doesn't really see any point in subterfuge himself, moreso between the spiritually linked like a familiar and his master… but perhaps it is merely a force of habit between Chise's near-obsession of thinking about _everyone,_ and Ruth's desire to serve.

In any case, he quite likes watching the obvious delight between them as Chise fastens the collar around Ruth's neck, where the chrome tag and the silver lining stands out in Ruth's jet-black fur.

" _Thank you, Chise. I will stow it away for now but I can materialize it as needed, like I do with my clothing,"_ Ruth says, and proceeds to do just that after Chise nods her approval.

A clever trick – Elias does the same things to his outfits when shapeshifting. It has taken him a few weeks before he is able to dissipate and summon his whole attires without straining his magical capacities or forgetting any part of the set. To an extent, he can fashion clothing out of magical energies in the same way he alters his anatomy but a physical object is much more practical in the long run, hence why he clothes himself in the way of the humans. Ruth will have a much easier time, with only a collar to be mindful of.

"Perhaps I should teach you the basics of conjuration as well, when the time is right," Elias muses, settling his elbow on the armrest and leaning his skull into his hand for support. "You have learnt to do it with your wand, of course, but an object without an affinity to you will be more difficult. It will help you with controlling your magical usage."

"Please do," Chise says, her already wide smile becoming even more so. Never mind that Elias is normally indifferent to a wide range of hotness or lack thereof, the room inexplicably feels like it has gained enough heat to raise the temperature by a few degrees.

It must be only Elias who feels it though, since neither Chise nor Ruth reacts or make comments on it. She is already rummaging for the next item to be shown, in bags that seem to contain piles of fabrics of dizzyingly various colours.

"I thought this will look good on Althea." She holds up a dress that is indeed about the size of Angelica's daughter. It looks simple, much like the one he has dressed Chise in when she is left to slumber after their return from Ulthar although this one is soft purple rather than Chise's sky blue.

She says no question but her eyes ask it amply from the way she looks expectantly on Elias. Unfortunately, aesthetic opinion is the worst thing Chise could have asked of him, so he seeks for a way to buy himself some time to think.

"Is there an occasion that calls for a new clothing?"

He doesn't like _or_ dislike it. Appropriate, perhaps, but Elias feels like that is not something really useful.

"She said that there's a birthday party she wants to attend. Her friend's. I want to give it to her when we visit Angelica…"

"I see."

 _Beautiful_ doesn't quite describe his feeling when seeing the dress, despite it being probably the polite word to say. _Beautiful_ describes Chise with a wooly bug perched on her shoulder, kissed by the sunlight in the glade and glowing from the remnant magic of King Oberon. _Beautiful_ is Chise leaping down from the stone that marks the Anthill Kingdom's entrance, her dress fluttering and her veil playing in the wind from the flight of the Aerials.

Compared to that, everything else pales in Elias' eyes.

Improvisation is certainly in order here since he can't make it on his own. "I think Althea and Angelica will be very delighted with your gift."

There's that smile again. She is truly generous with it, but Elias allows himself a small liberty to think that the ones she gives him are like no other; just like she smiles a certain way towards Stella or Ruth or Silky. Perhaps he will never be able to experience it in the human's way but he does recognize now that if Chise is fond of other person, it does not mean that Elias himself will be cast aside like a broken talisman. The fact that she remains with him is an unshakeable proof of that…

"I'm glad you think that way too." She doesn't seem to realize that for the minutest period, Elias' mind has wandered; instead continuing with folding the dress neatly and sliding it into one of the less crumpled paper bags, ready to be delivered.

The next thing that catches her (and by extension, Elias') attention is a small square-cut piece of cloth, its sides delicately embroidered with flowery motifs. It has a design that Elias remembers to be much more widespread in former times, and not a style Chise uses for herself.

"Now, where's Silky? I thought I just saw her in the kitchen just now… Ruth, do you mind fetching her –"

That brings Elias out of his relaxed lounge.

"Chise, no."

The Grim stops mid-track. Chise's hands freeze midair while still holding the cloth – apparently a handkerchief – at her eye-level. However, her attention is no longer affixed on it but rather Elias himself, watching him in the same way a deer watches an incoming headlight.

"E… Elias?"

Elias decides to remain seated. There is no need to add further to the girl's distress after his suddenness – he has assumed that his tone is calm enough to avoid such reactions, though both hers and Ruth's stillness prove otherwise.

"Perhaps you've forgotten, but Silky's kind does not take payments for themselves," Elias says, thinking of a gentler way to put it but eventually deciding for straightforwardness, "…and a gift like this – a clothing or personal accessory – will most likely be considered as an insult."

He watches as the bright emerald eyes grow wider in shock, then settles into realization.

"Oh – Oh, no! You've told me all about it before... I was too excited buying stuffs for others –"

Ruth pads over to Chise and snuggles into her, called to give comfort in the face of his master's disappointment. It is a little strange for Chise has so far remembered Silky's etiquette without fail, down to specifying whatever she means to give the brownie as provisions for the household rather than gifts. Being engrossed in her shopping spree, and with Stella to fuel her enthusiasm, she must have overlooked what is supposed to be common knowledge…

It doesn't matter now. Elias has stepped in, as any magic teacher would, before any harm can be done. It's a mistake easily made and even more easily forgiven. Instead, Elias is far more concerned of the rising urge to follow after Ruth's example and take her in his arms. He itches for actions rather than observations.

"Elias… I'm sorry. It's stupid of me. I won't forget that ever again. I –"

He makes himself stand without effort at all, though to kneel in front of her and lay a comforting hand on top of her head are something he struggles with – not because it is difficult for it is exceedingly easy to do that, a second nature now to him – because he wishes to do more. So much more, though he cannot understand the will that his body is growing by itself without his conscious say-so.

Elias spares for himself a few seconds to exhale all of the other irrelevant impulses before attending to the girl waiting anxiously for his verdict.

"You only wish to repay the kindness of others, Chise."

It's a fact as clear as a day to Elias, but sometimes Chise needs another to become her mirror, to see of herself what to others are obvious. She lifts her eyes to him, tense and brewing with self-frustration. It's not a look that suits her at all.

"I should've remembered. I knew about the rules with gifts."

"Then, I trust that you remember now how best to return her hospitality?"

"…A cup of cream or milk on the mantelpiece." She pauses as though reading from a book that only she can see. "And, um, provide materials that will help her chores."

"Very good." He means the praise but his words lack eagerness. If only Chise will stop fidgeting at the hems of the handkerchief... A restless hand, as Elias has come to conclude, is a reliable indicator that she is troubled – perhaps not by guilt as earlier, but rather by the regret of a wish unfulfilled.

"I've bought this for nothing." Her fingers are now working on folding the handkerchief in a slow and unfocussed movements, her eyes downcast, her lips pressed thin.

Watching her, the magus is again aware of the growing restlessness in the pit of his stomach. It gnaws at him, makes him want to reach out with his limbs and his thorns and his shadows, with anything at all, if he can just pull her out of this gloom.

"Not all is lost, Chise," he murmurs, deciding finally to quench his desire with little nuzzles to the side of her head, using the hand on her scalp to keep her steady. "Give it not to her, but rather to the house. Put it in the drawer with the napkins and towels. That way, she will be able to find use for it, and you would have given her gifts without disregarding her customs."

 _Like a seedling sprouting its first leaf_ , is what Elias is reminded of when that bright, so very bright eyes are turned up towards him, drinking in his features as leaves turned towards the sun soaks its vibrant energy. Her lips find back her lost smile; a flower in the making.

"I'll do that. Oh, Elias – thank you!" and then she springs with clumsiness of inexperience and spontaneity.

His voice catches in his throat just as his body catches Chise's lunge. Muscles tense as he does so, resisting her momentum not to be toppled back and succeeding – not a difficult feat with Chise's small stature and the limited space between them, though it does result in him and Chise being tangled together in a rather awkward position: Elias, balanced on two knees instead of one, and Chise wrapped around his abdomen.

He finds himself returning the embrace without consciously deciding to do it.

"Thank you, Elias –" Her voice sounds muffled, being uttered into the dampening material of his waistcoat. "I was just so excited and Stella said that it'll be perfect for her, I didn't think about Silky's rule – I'm glad you've found a way out of this."

"I can't say I'm surprised. You have always been hasty in your decision." There's no bite in that, only gentle teasing that brings an interesting redness to her cheeks, as well as the realization that their positions are yet another result of said hastiness.

It is not something Elias wants to complain about, what with her warmth being so close to him.

Unfortunately, Chise is backing out of their impromptu embrace just as Elias is beginning to bask in it, though his sense of loss is somewhat assuaged by her small hands lingering on his lower arms.

"It's a good thing that my teacher is here to tell me off." She gives her surrounding a quick scan, where there are still a few shopping bags lay unopened. "…Looks like you may have a lot more reminding to do, though."

With that, Chise resumes going through her purchases, beginning with a scarf meant for Simon since cold weather is bound to worsen his coughing, along with several more items that she simply lists for the sake of telling him. There are towels and a raincoat for the residence although this time Elias refrains from telling her that Silver Lady does just fine in the rain without extra protection beyond her own magic. She asks if the cloak she has bought will suffice to practice clothing enchantments, which Elias deems it so. Surprisingly, Chise also keeps the faeries in mind – of note is the head accessory for the _leannán sí_ who lives alone in one of the houses in the village. The vampiric _sídhe_ normally make no friend, but trusts Chise and her waywardness to actually befriend this Miss Redcurrant…

Gifts are not taboos to the _leannán sí_ as they are with Silky brownie, so Elias decides to let it be as well.

Soon, there leaves only two bags to be discovered its contents, both being smaller than what Chise has so far shown and having the matching shop symbol stamped on the front. They look undeniably similar to the one she has brought to him in the study; his initially mild curiousity rises sharply at the realization, to the point where his finger begins to tap the armrest until he makes himself stop the unbecoming reaction.

" _What's that, Chise?"_ Ruth asks, sparing the mage from the ill-mannered desire to voice out what is already running rampant in his skull.

"This?" She throws at him one of those playful grins she seems to have picked up out of nowhere and is now using to heart-stuttering effect on Elias. It doesn't escape his notice as well that she is deliberately reaching for the bag further from her and produces from it a curious glass sphere dangling on a piece of red string, the end of which is tied with a piece of paper.

The object clangs and rings with erratic yet melodious rhythm when she holds it aloft.

"A wind chime?"

She nods at Elias' guess and allows Ruth takes an experimental sniff at it. "It's called a _fūrin_ where I came from. People usually hang these during the summer. I want to put this on the windows in my room for a change."

" _It has a… warding vibe to it?"_

"Does it?"

It does, though one that is very faint so as to be almost undetectable even with Elias' sensitivity to magical presence. It takes a very close observation to reveal this fact – close enough that Elias's snout is merely inches away from touching the finely painted glass-bowl.

"I seem to recall," Elias begins, his fingers scratching thoughtfully on the underside of his skull, "that wind chimes used to function as protective charms in the East. You, Chise – You come from a place where belief in this wind chime guards against evil spirits. Your power as a Sleigh Beggy must have kept a fraction of its charms alive despite being so far from its homeland."

"But… it won't bother our neighbours, right?"

"I doubt it will. Since it is usually meant as a decoration here, its influence is greatly waned."

"Oh, that's good to hear! The Aerials sometimes visit me in my room; I thought they would like playing with something like this when they come next time."

At this point, Elias is not remotely surprised anymore that this is just another thing she acquires with others in mind. His bafflement has long been exhausted after she absorbs into herself the Dragon's Curse. Now, he is simply amused that she can keep track of so many people and manages to find one way or another to show them her goodwill.

"Last but not least, then," she announces suddenly. The wind chime is now back in the shopping bag with one last musical _clank;_ she lets Ruth continues his inspection while she retrieves her final souvenir.

Although there is really no reason to, Elias – having joined Chise and Ruth on the floor and is sitting in a somewhat lazy sprawl – reorganizes himself to sit cross-legged. Her eyes watch him relentlessly from the moment her fingers touch the handle of the bag until she presents it to him, arms tensely outstretched in waiting for his acceptance. He does so immediately, his hands held out and the palms upturned as though to receive a blessing. Though he is unconcerned of such things normally, from her he feels strangely anticipatory and… _relieved,_ of all things – a sense of expansiveness in his ribs that seem to make his breathing a little easier.

"Thank you, Chise." Whatever her gift is, it comes in a box on top of being carried in the shopping bag. With the same reverence with which he receives it, Elias brings the box out under Chise's anxious watch and turns it around, seeking for images or readable texts among the lengthy columns of Japanese characters. He may be proficient in a number of Western speeches but the regions beyond that has developed different linguistic branches which he finds less predisposed to his comprehension. Fortunately, most of them comes with translations although in smaller fonts that make his pupils squint.

"'Scented candles'," he reads finally, the words imprinted in small lettering beside a more conspicuous picture of that very same object.

That seems to be Chise's self-decided prompt to explain herself. "I've already decided on the _fūrin_ when Isaw that in the aromatherapy section on the next aisle. I remembered that you usually light up scented oils or other fragrance –"

A subtle blush appears on her cheeks. His own pupils curve in good humour at the sight, knowing that she must be thinking of her many failed potions and elixirs that more often than not results in an… _unsavoury_ smell in wherever she happens to be working.

She forges on bravely, "– other fragrance when I mess something up. You usually let me use the study for the more complex experiments, but you sometimes use that place too, so…"

To be honest, how the candles may be useful doesn't matter all that much to the mage – it's _Chise's gift,_ after all. It's the gift itself that he is interested in – or rather, the thought process behind her choice. It tells something of how poorly he performs in this area when he has only the teddy bears as Christmas presents to Angelica and her daughter, year after year. It's not even something that he comes up himself.

The box tumbles around in his hands while he examines the packaging further. Besides the image of the candles, an elaborate motif seems to be a cluster of soft-pink flowers, pale to the point of whiteness. A rarity in the West, Elias nevertheless recognizes them, having spent some time in the shadows of the fallen petals during his sporadic travels through Europe.

"Cherry blossoms – or should I say _sakura?_ That's what it is called in your language, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I thought you'd like a change from the usual herbs and flowers."

Among the Japanese texts, a stylized sentence with an English translation underneath catches his attention. It says that the candles are:

"…'Perfect for bringing a romantic atmosphere into your house'," Elias reads, his monotone making a jarring contrast to the rather suggestive statement.

"I – _what?"_

"It says so here." Elias turns the package around so the face bearing those claims are presented to her. Her eyes instantly widen, so much so that she resembles the eye-gems of the bird sculpture on her own wand.

She turns to Ruth – no doubt to share a quick thought with her familiar – whose reply comes out as a huff and a decisive flick of his tail. A disapproval, perhaps, for asking his intervention to worm her way out of this, whatever 'this' is. If she so wishes, there is absolutely no problem at all if they do something romantic together…

…There _shouldn't_ be a problem, right?

"Is this not a gift you mean for me?"

"No! I mean –" Ruth, taking pity on her, nudges her hands reassuringly and prompting Chise to take a calming breath. She tries again. "It's just – I didn't notice that extra labels. If you don't like it, I –"

The subtlest shifting from the magus cuts her off. With his height, there is not much leaning to be done before his skull is within reach of her; his muzzle against her skin, as gentle and affectionate as he assumes it should be for being his approximation of a kiss. From what he has observed, romantic gestures are encouraged in situations like this.

"Thank you again, Chise," he murmurs into the nearest ear, grateful more than he can express how he is included in the circle of people she deems worthy of showing favours.

Heat from under her skin intensifies when he gently nudges the outer shell of her ear – an instinctive reaction to their nearness rather than one carefully thought out, and Elias is prepared to retreat immediately if only her hand on the side of his mandible doesn't stop him first. She is asking him to stay despite his initiative – Chise, who is unfailingly acceptant but rarely showing interest to proceed with his attention, is now requesting just that…

 _A queen bee_ , he once said of her. Elias has not yet known then how true it is, now that he feels the inexplicable pull to please her someway, somehow. The smell of roses is subdued underneath the grimy, smoky traces of London air – a trivial concern.

"Chise, I –"

It is unbelievable how the simplest of gestures can leave substantial effects on the allegedly self-possessed magus. He cannot put into words the feelings that invade him even if he tries. There is only a sense of yearning, of wanting to be closer, wanting to have more of her in contact with him, wanting her approval in his wants of her, wanting… _more of her._

Running underneath the multitudes of his urges, a persistent voice whispers:

 _Treat her as an equal. Respect her. Cherish her. Your most… precious._

And, at the tail of this is the mental image of Angelica and her words, her face and voice expressing concerns such that she has never used for him in all his solitary years:

 _Know your boundaries, Ainsworth. Never step beyond unless she opens it for you._

Frustration bleeds into his being, discomfited in the face of uncertainty. His body speaks of something it desires, something that his mind is not able to grasp. Where does he draw the line, when Elias has little idea to what purpose his instincts are acting on? Perhaps Elias should have asked Angelica for clarification, but in this matter he trusts Chise to do it for him. This is her right to disclose.

For the moment, however…

They are a powerful force, his instincts, and until he has the knowledge to act on it or involve Chise, the reasonable course of action here is to desist.

This time, he retreats successfully. In that brief moments of indulgence, the shadows have grown deeper around them, undulating to the pulse that Elias belatedly realizes as his own heartbeat. Chise's eyes watch the shifting silhouettes thrown on the walls and ceiling, following Elias' much larger hands on her shoulders releasing their aquiline holds, looking into the depth of his sockets with reckless abandon. Her breaths are like the waves lapping at the shore: In and out, in and out, a primordial rhythm like the rise and fall of Lindel's songs.

A robin before the beast. Her silence does not bear her fear, only curiousity.

Ruth hovers at the doorway, alert but unworried. If the Grim can afford his current poise, Chise must be as unruffled she appears… despite Elias nearly surrounding her in his arms and the hints of his shadowy thorns flirting with her hair, her hands, her feet. He retracts them immediately, feeling indefinably conscious that makes him want to pull the red veil hanging from his horns over his skull. And why is there copious saliva collecting in his throat and mouth? He swallows it urgently before it can seep through the walls of his teeth, though even that seems to pose an unexpected difficulty with the way his throat tightens.

"Are you alright?" She asks, her voice soft and barely audible. Unlike Elias, her hand is still pressed to his skull, fingertips flitting among the canines and molars without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes." Elias is puzzled as well, for his instances of losing coherent form is normally preceded by a disaster or another; Chise is the exact opposite of it. "Are you?"

"Yeah." Silence descends among them, peaceful like the dawn of morning after a long night. Elias contents himself to kneel beside her, staying close without risking another unprecedented liberation. Thoughts – confusing, tangled and loud – jostle in his skull for attention but none of them are quite helpful to his confidence.

"Chise?"

"Yeah?"

"…What is happening?" _Have I done anything wrong?_

"I'm not sure, Elias." _It's okay,_ is what her touch seems to say. His shoulders, tense without his awareness, sag with relief.

From his post beside the entrance, Ruth lets out another unconcealed huff. She turns to glare at him, succeeding only in gaining a more dramatic sigh from the Grim.

"I, um –" Her face is becoming red once again, like ripening cherries. "The candles. You like them, right?"

"Yes." _I like you more. I like you here, with me._ "Chise… will you stay in my room tonight? Will you fall asleep with me again?"

He doesn't expect his own thoughts to be so raucous as to be vocalized altogether. It is not a secret – never has been, actually – that Elias has grown to desire her presence. The spontaneity is perhaps frowned upon for someone striving to become a proper gentleman, but it is a truth that Elias chooses not to gloss over.

She only pauses to give way to gulp down her nervousness. "I will, Elias."

Elias has no name for the serpentine warmth that starts in his lower abdomen and slithers up his spine to concentrate in his chest. He hopes Chise can help him understand what it truly is, though if he has to guess, it has to be a species of excitement. There is delight to be found in the glorious freedom of brute force as well as the elegance of wielding magic with the talents of both fae and human – but Chise is an enigma like no other.

She is, after all, his one and only bride.


End file.
